Nigeria Lecturers Strike Not an Impossible Matter to Settle, Says Former University Commission Secretary

The issues between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been more or less been substantially settled, Munzali Jibril, a former secretary of the National Universities Commission has said, describing the issues as one that is not impossible to settle.

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A professor of English, Jibril, who appeared on ARISE News said at the centre of all negotiations between the union and the federal government should be the interest of Nigerian students who have been at home for about 8 months as a result of the strike action.

“What is outstanding now is the method of payment of the monies the government has agreed to pay, the earned academic allowances N30 billion, and also the withheld salaries for 6 or more months for some members.

“It appears to me that with goodwill on both sides this is not an impossible matter to settle. Just like early in the year, the president intervened by directing that the salaries of ASUU members who have not gone on the IPPIS platform should be paid, then the office of the Accountant-general decided to use that as an opportunity to get people who had not enrolled to enrol and ASUU members resisted.

“In the end, the government said find some other way to pay them and they were paid without going on the platform, so I am sure this can also be done now.

“The interest of the students should be paramount on our minds and I think the matter should be settled as quickly as possible but it takes goodwill on both sides,” he said.

By Abel Ejikeme